


More Than One Way to be a Star

by Seer_of_Soul



Category: Original Work, Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Based on an idea I had, Cuz I hate myself for some reason, It’s in the song, It’s mostly just for fun, It’s mostly to play around with characters and themes, Lotta singing, M/M, Multi, Porn Mention, Posted for review purposes, Pretty much ripping off the original servamps, Slow Burn, The Creator had an apprentice, Then they made more servamps, They’re all oc’s right now, This is a rough draft, just the word, may change later, this really isn’t meant to be the most creatively or heart wrenching story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 05:31:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15722973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seer_of_Soul/pseuds/Seer_of_Soul
Summary: There’s more than one way to be a star. Mason is a theatre nerd who’s never been able to preform onstage due to his depression sparked stage fright in front of large audiences. He never wanted to preform enough to overcome his reservations. But a musical loving vampire takes it upon himself to chance this timid young man into a star.





	1. The Stage Crew

**Author's Note:**

> The musical loving vampire is not Lawless! The story is about a second set of servamps, created by the Creator’s apprentice. It’s mostly just a fun, semi-indulgent, story to play around with. Let me know if you guys like it.

It was cold that day in early December, the first actually cold day in a month. Mason Addams liked to think that it was the universe’s birthday present to him, a month of warmth he rarely got to enjoy around that time of year. But, since it was cold, Mason had reluctantly worn several layers and a scarf. The hood of his dark purple sweatshirt was pulled low over his eyes, a meager attempt to block out the cold wind that shredded the skin of his cheeks. Mason sniffed violently, refusing to blow his nose out of stubbornness. He sat in the garden part of the park near his house. There was a playground just beyond the wall of bushes, so Mason’s serene winter day was surrounded by the sounds of children playing. He didn’t actually mind as much as he pretended he did. Nostalgia washed over Mason like a wave. He felt it swirling all around him like a whirlpool, sucking him downward. Nostalgia became another feeling he didn’t dare to name. A dark pit opened in his stomach, threatening to suck him in. 

Mason shook his head violently,  
sniffing even more violently. He coughed into his hands, rubbing them together to warm the cherry colored tips. He stood up, cracking his back and neck to ease the stiffness. “I should probably get back home...,” he said to himself. “Get some hot chocolate and a fluffy blanket....” He smiled slightly. “That sounds nice.” 

Mason started walking towards the entrance of the garden when he spotted a small group of kids surrounding something. “Uh oh...,” Mason thought. “That’s can’t be good.” 

As he got closer he saw a couple kids poking something small and round with sticks. “Is it dead?” One of the kids asked. 

“No, it twitches when you poke it,” another answered. 

Mason felt irritation and anger well up inside him, finally overtaking the hole in his gut. “Hey,” he said as he approached the kids. “What are you doing to the poor thing?”

The kids looked up at him. “We’re just looking.”

Mason raised an eyebrow, feeling it twitch angrily. “Look with your eyes not your sticks.” He got close enough to see the small creature curled into a ball. “What the...? A hedgehog??” Mason knelt down and the kids parted for him. “Oh no... this is probably somebody’s pet that got lost....” he gently stroked along its back, yanking his hand away as the hedgehog’s quills jumped, trying to stab him. 

The kids shied away. “Is it going to be okay...?” One of them asked, sounding on the verge of tears. 

Mason felt his heart swirling with emotions. “I’ll take the little guy to the vet... and put up a found poster there.” He shrugged off his coat and pulled his hoodless sweatshirt over his head. He draped the sweatshirt over the ball of quills and pulled his coat back on. “Hey there little guy... don’t worry... I’m not going to hurt you....” He gently scooped the hedgehog up in his sweatshirt, cradling the poor animal to his chest. 

“Uh... thank you sir...,” one of the kids said. 

Mason smiled. “Sure. Take care kiddos,” he said, turning towards the way back home. The hedgehog jumped in his arms, but couldn’t stick him though the thick sweatshirt. 

 

Mason sat at his kitchen counter, peering into the small box he’d set the hedgehog in. It was still wrapped in his sweatshirt, he’d been afraid that the poor thing wouldn’t get warm. It hadn’t moved much, only poking the tip of its nose out to breath easier. Mason stared at the slow rise and fall of the sweatshirt, wondering what he should do. It was Saturday, so the small local vet clinic would be closed for two days. He wondered if the little guy would make it. He hoped so. 

A small squeak brought Mason’s focus back to the present. The hedgehog slid itself out of the sweatshirt, rubbing its face with a little paw. It looked around, suddenly alarmed, squeaking in a panic. Mason, slowly and gently, lowered his hand into the box, in the hedgehog’s line of sight. 

“Hey little guy... it’s okay.... You’re safe here,” he said in a soft voice. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” The hedgehog looked at Mason’s hand curiously, gingerly walking up to it and sniffing it. Mason smiled, letting his hand dangle loosely. “The Vet’s closed today and tomorrow, so I’ll take you in first thing on Monday. Okay?” 

The hedgehog looked up at him, almost as if it understood. Mason gently stroked his thumb over the quills on its head. The hedgehog was mostly a pearly color, with a few streaks of dark grey. “I’ll get you something to eat.” Mason said, smiling softly. He stood, pulling out his phone to see what hedgehog’s ate. 

Seven minutes later he returned to the box to find the little guy standing on his hind legs, seemingly waiting for him. Mason grinned and laughed quietly. “Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” He chuckled, setting two tiny Tupperware bowls into the box. One had water in it, the other small bits of leftover chicken, minus the skin, and slices of a baby carrot. “Hope that’s all right...,” Mason muttered, sitting back in the high chair. The hedgehog investigated the food and water, and started eating the chicken. Mason gave a soft sigh of relief. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. 

A small point in his chest throbbed. The void stretched and drug itself more open. Mason winced as it started spreading, opening a hole through his chest, crawling outward. It passed over where his heart was without so much as slowing down. Mason felt his eyes start stinging, which quickly numbed as the sting spread to behind his nose. He felt something creeping down his cheeks as his chest tightened, sending tremors over his body. His mouth fell open, trying to say something, but there was nothing to say. Numb fingers clutched at his chest, trying to catch the void, stop it from spreading. 

A sharp shriek snapped Mason out of his panic. He sat forward, seeing the hedgehog standing on its back legs, looking up at him from inside the box. Mason smiled slightly, patting the little guy on the head. The hedgehog squeaked softly, nuzzling his hand. Mason relaxed, letting the tension fall off of his shoulders. The hedgehog rolled onto its back, letting Mason gently rub its fluffy belly. Mason sighed softly, feeling the void slowly stitch itself shut as he rubbed the soft fur. He grinned slightly as he realized that the hedgehog was warm. He let out a soft sigh of relief. “I’m glad you’re okay little guy...,” he said softly. 

 

A sharp, alarmingly loud buzz made both Mason and the hedgehog jump. The critter balled itself up as Mason scrambled to grab his cellphone off the counter. 

“Leeman Calling,” the phone read. Mason sighed and answered it. 

“Hello Leeman,” Mason said, trying to sound tired. 

“Mabie baby,” a chipper voice, that did not belong to Leeman, answered. “How are you? Feeling good? Great!” 

“Oh.... Hello Christa. ...Why do you have Leeman’s phone?” Mason watched the hedgehog un-ball itself and look up at him, almost listening. 

“His hands are messy and my phone’s in the back room,” she giggled. Someone yelled something in the background. “They’re on the prop table!” Christa snorted, amused. “Anywho~! Our lord and master, Director Felix wants to know if you can come in today.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “Who didn’t show up?”

Christa giggle-snorted. “The ENTIRE cast. We’re painting today and the poor little babies didn’t want to get dirty.” Mason could hear the exaggerated pouty face she pulled. 

“Yeah, I can...,” he started. He looked down at the hedgehog, who looked back at him. “Uh... Wait. Umm.... This is hard to explain.... I just rescued a... a hedgehog from outside and... now I have a hedgehog in a box I really don’t wanna leave it in my house by itself.”

There was a long pause from the other end. “A... hedgehog...?”

“Probably a lost pet or something.” Mason pinched the bridge of his nose. He could practically hear the error noises Christa’s Brain was making. 

“Gimme a sec,” she said. There was muffled talking, most likely from the phone being pressed against her shoulder. Mason heard somebody laughing, most likely Felix Mercy, their “boss.” Christa giggled into the phone. “He says to go ahead and bring it if you must. He just wants you here. We’re getting to panic week so he needs everybody. ...Think the hedgehog knows how to sew?”

Mason huffed, feeling a grin split across his face. “He’s got plenty of needles.” He snickered into his hand. “Okay. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

Christa gave a giggle and clicked her tongue. “Okey dokey~! See ya then!” She hung up the phone. 

Mason sighed softly, letting a soft smile spread across his face. “Looks like we’re going on a field trip little guy. Hope you like musicals.” 

 

Half an hour later Mason set the hedgehog’s box down on a chair in the front row of the auditorium. The seats were overly fancy, as was normal for Milltown’s private high school. The balcony seats were supposedly velvet, but no one was sure. Felix was typing away on his computer a few seats away, not showing any sign that he’d noticed Mason enter. Mason patted the hedgehog on the head and turned towards the stage, seeing five people working on their own thing. The crinkling sound that came whenever someone so much as shifted their weight told him that there was plastic covering the stage. 

“Heeeeeey! Mabie baby’s here!” Leeman called from the top of a ladder. He was painting details on a forest backdrop. He stuck his paintbrush in the tin of paint and jumped down, rousing several soft curses and several more loud curses as his landing shook the stage. Leeman dodged the painted hand towel someone chucked at him as he jogged up to the edge of the stage. “The decent music has arrived! Thank the clouds.” He grinned, couching to be more level with Mason. “What’s in the box Mabie?”

Mason raised an eyebrow at Leeman, fighting the grin that threatened to ruin his cool act. “Music? Is that all I’m good for? If so, I can always send you my list.” 

“Nonono. We like your singing too Mabie.” Leeman slid off the stage, pulling Mason into a hug. “Save me. I’m going to die on that death contraption,” he whisper-sobbed. 

Mason felt goosebumps crackle down his arms from the whisper. “You’re breathing in my ear,” he grumbled, pushing Leeman away. He scrubbed his hand over his ear, shivering. “But sure. I’ll go up the ladder.” 

Leeman grinned wider. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” He grabbed Mason’s forearms and jumped up and down. “You’re an angel, Mab- uh, Mason.” He grinned sheepishly. 

Someone cleared their throat loudly, drawing their attention. Felix Mercy, the lord and master of the theatre, was looking over at them expectantly. Leeman quickly withdrew his hands from Mason, sticking them behind his back. “Hello Mason,” Felix greeted. He wasn’t very old, but Felix had grey hair along the sides of his head. His glasses were thin rectangles, used purely for computer work. His fingertips were all stained with different colored ink, red, blue, and black all molded together. He wore a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his staple stupid coat. It was a long black coat, made with thin material so it would flow dramatically when he moved. And the sleeves were cut off. 

“Hey Felix.” Mason smiled, trying to make it warm. 

“So...,” Felix stood up, setting his laptop down on the armrests between two seats. “A... hedgehog...?”

“A WHAT?” Leeman choked. “What??”

Mason gave an embarrassed chuckle. “It’s... not as weird as it sounds.”

“I wanna see!” Leeman gabbed Mason’s arm, jerking it like a kid begging for candy. 

“Ah...! Ha- How about when we take a break?” He looked at Felix for some support. 

Felix thought for a moment. “Yes that sounds reasonable.” He turned towards the stage. “Alright everyone! Take a break! We’re meeting Mason’s hedgehog.”

Mason looked at Felix, betrayed. “Felix....”

“I want to see this hedgehog.” He smiled with just his mouth. 

Mason groaned softly as the others congregated around them. 

Christa slid off the stage, draping her arms around Mason’s shoulders. “Sup Mabie~?” She grinned, trying to sneak a peek into the hedgehog’s box. Mason shrugged her off. 

“Heard something about a hedgehog,” Nickey murmured, tugging absently on their ponytail. 

“Yeah! Yeah! We wanna see it!” Horacio grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His oversized gray hoodie flopped around like an overstuffed cloud. 

Cassandra leaned over Nickey, putting her hands on their back for balance. Nickey gave an indignant squeak. “I really wanna hear how you got him.” She grinned, flipping her long curly hair over her shoulder. “It’s something dramatic I hope.”

Leeman gasped loudly. “Was I the only one who didn’t know about the raining hedgehog?!!” He looked offended and betrayed. 

Mason rolled his eyes at his “coworkers.” He bent down to gently stroke the hedgehog, instead of just grabbing the poor thing. The hedgehog chirped contently, nuzzling his hand. “I just found him half frozen in the park by my house. He’s probably someone’s lost pet so I’m not keeping him. I’ll take him to the vet on Monday, so don’t get over excited.” Mason gently scooped the hedgehog into his hand. He cradled him against his chest and turned around, letting the others see. 

Christa gasped, clapping both hands over her mouth. “He’s beautiful...!” She breathed from behind her hands. 

Leeman took a huge breath in, making a high pitched noise. “Whaaaaaaaaa?!!!! Oh my sunbeam!” He started vibrating. “He’s so... cute...!”

Nickey and Cassandra just stared, stars forming in their eyes. 

Horacio stoped bouncing, tilting his head. His eyes got wide. “Hedgehog? That looks like a spiny rat.”

“That’s what a hedgehog is, Cio,” Cassandra shot back, giving him an incredulous look. “He’s so pretty though.”

Horacio looked unimpressed. “I thought it’d look like a pig....” He huffed and sat down, crossing his legs. 

Christa moved closer to Mason slowly. “Can... I hold him...?” 

Mason nodded. “If he lets you.” He carefully shifted the hedgehog so he could walk into Christa’s open hands. The hedgehog looked up at her and sniffed her hands, but didn’t move towards her. Instead he nestled down around Mason’s hand, clinging to it like a pillow. “Uh... maybe later.... Maybe he’s tired,” Mason offered, smiling sadly at the crestfallen Christa. 

Leeman threw an arm over her shoulder. “Yeah, Christa. He was half dead not that long ago. I don’t think the little guy is feeling too energetic.”

She snickered softly, shoving Leeman off of her. “Yeah yeah.” She shook her head. “Later then.” 

Felix put a hand on Mason’s shoulder, making him jump. “It seems pretty attached to you at the moment.” 

Mason nodded slightly, wondering where Felix was going with that line of thought. He could never read the director’s expression. “I suppose so, Sir.”

Felix patted his shoulder. “Then perhaps, you should stick to something not involving a great amount of movement. The bloody throw pillows need fixing.”

Mason blinked in surprise. The rest of the team seemed to hold their breath as well. “Really? I mean, I’d be happy to sir. Thank you very much.” He smiled, feeling off balance. 

Felix nodded, looking up at the rest of the team. “And the rest of you, break time is over.”

There was a few soft grumbles, but nothing too serious or spiteful. As everyone drifted back to what they were doing, Leeman dragging his feet most of all, Mason climbed the steps onto the stage. He firstly made his way to the audio jack. The tech crew had rigged it to connect to the speakers throughout the auditorium. Mason plugged his phone in and selected a playlist. Music started playing as Mason adjusted the volume. 

“Stars above! Yes!” Someone, Leeman, shouted from behind Mason. 

“Better not be that one with all the angst songs!” Someone else, Cassandra most likely, yelled above the slowly building music. 

Mason laughed softly to himself, petting the hedgehog’s head gently as he sat down next to the sewing table. Nickey looked up at him, offering a small nod of approval over his song choice before diving back into their project of sewing a shirt made entirely of sequins. 

Mason set the hedgehog down on his lap and pulled a ripped throw pillow onto his knees, fussing with the thread and needle until it was threaded. He smiled and started working. He didn’t notice that the music’s vocals had started until Nickey started softly singing along with them. 

“I’ll fool my self, she’ll walk right in,” they sang shyly. 

“Now I know~ she’ll never leave me~!” Leeman bellowed, slightly off key, sitting on the top step of the ladder. 

Mason grinned as the others joined in, “Wasting in my lonely tower~! Waiting by an open door~!” Christa was painting a fence a light blue. Horacio was sketching the outline for a mural, looking off a paper in his hand. Cassandra was painting bushes, a little ways down from the tree Leeman was working on. 

Mason felt himself relax, letting go of the stress the day had brought. He let himself start to sing. “She will still inspire me, be a part of everything I do~!”

Every voice dropped off to nearly inaudible whispers. “I’ll fool myself, she’ll walk right in.”

They all paused in their work to bellow the final line. “Waiting here, forevermore~!” There was a short pause as the music faded out. Then the next song started. 

“It’s...~ not...~” Mason grinned, seeing the others do the same. “Easy! having yourself a good time~!” Mason snickered as the others chimed in one by one. Truly, it was dangerous having a playlist as diverse as his on shuffle. Mason continued sewing the pillow, breathlessly mouthing the lyrics. The hedgehog shifted in his lap, seeming to be paying attention to the song. 

Everyone of the workers chimed in as the chorus started. “I can’t decide wether you should live or die~!” Nickey was tapping their foot sharply to the beat, nodding their head. Mason remembered that Nickey’s playlist consisted of various songs with hard beats and morbid lyrics. Mason couldn’t help the small beam of pride the welled up inside him. He loved that they all liked his music choices. 

Several songs, and a few fixed pillows later, Mason stretched his arms, hearing his back loudly crack several times. Nickey flinched, looking up at him worriedly. “Is your back broken or something...?” They mumbled, peering at him from behind the mop of dark hair that normally covered both their eyes. 

Mason grinned sheepishly. “Nah, it just does that.” He grabbed a shirt with a high collar so torn it was nearly separated. He started fixing it. “So, how’s Rinrin?” He asked. 

Nickey blushed softly, hugging the sequin shirt to their chest. “He’s so dumb... he got stuck in a box that was on its side. And his face keeps getting smushed because he keeps running into walls....” They buried their face in the sequin shirt. “He’s so dumb! Rinrin is the dumbest cat in all of existence!” They shook their head, causing the shirt to jangle. 

“Maybe, but he’s still not as stupid as that shirt,” Mason snickered. 

Nickey looked down at the shirt in their hands. “I think it’s for the dragon....”

“Dragon...? I thought this was supposed to be a modern Hamlet!” Mason gasped. 

“It is.... But the teacher let the students rewrite the script as much as they wanted, so long as it could still be modern Hamlet. Some of the students from that class were in here earlier. They said their main script writer just really likes dragons, so she worked three of them into the script.”

Mason blinked in disbelief. “... Man! I wanna take that class! That sounds awesome!”

Nickey snickered. “Aren’t you a bit old for high school Mabie baby~?”

“That’s not the point.... And don’t call me that!” He frowned. The frown deepened when Nickey started laughing, covering their mouth with the sequin shirt. 

“Sorry, sorry,” they giggled, lowering the shirt back into their lap as they continued sewing. Mason grumbled softly, returning to his work too. 

A new song started playing, everyone instantly recognizing it. “Mabie’s the villain!” Leeman called, leaning back to peer down at Mason’s less than pleased expression. 

Mason rolled his eyes hugely, making sure Leeman could see him from half way across the stage. 

“I’m the badass girl!” Cassandra giggled, dipping her paintbrush back into the orange paint. 

“Nickey is the sweet one,” Horacio snickered, watching as Nickey started, accidentally stabbing themself with the needle. 

Mason sighed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head despite the smile on his face. He sang with the lyrics. “Believe me I know, I’ve sunk pretty low. But whatever I’ve done you’ve deserved.” 

Leeman cheered softly to himself, pumping his fist. 

Mason set the pillow down on his lap. “And I’ll stand up and fight ‘cause I know that I’m right. And I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready~! Ready as I’ll ever be~!”

Cassandra chimed in with her part, holding the tiny paintbrush like it was a deadly weapon. “And I swear by the sword, if you’re in get on board! Are you ready?”

The others chimed in for the chorus part. “We’re ready~!”

Nickey softly sang her part. “I’ll save my home and family~....”

Mason finished his part with a vicious tone in his voice. “Ready as I’ll~ ever~ be.”

There was a pause as everyone caught their breath. Then the next song kicked on, signaling for them to return to their work. But the atmosphere had changed. There was a kind of tension on it now, the kind of tension that sent their minds into work mode. More and more, each time they sang together, it was as if they were evening out all their extremes, condensing into one wave length. Even Felix and the hedgehog seemed to join in occasionally. Mason would feel the little hedgehog rocking back and forth to the beat every so often.


	2. The Tech Crew (Late as usual)

Half an hour later the tech group arrived, ten minutes late, per usual. Felix looked up from his laptop. “About time. Late as usual Charlie, Perceval.” He scowled in disapproval. 

Charlie shrugged, only offering a lopsided sheepish grin. “Sorry sir. We’ll try to be better,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. She patted Perceval on the shoulder. “Come on Percy. Let’s get started.” She hopped off the stage. “We’ll start with the lights yeah? Then do the sound.” She and Perceval made their way to the tech booth up in the balcony. Less than a minute later, every light went out, save for the soft glow of Felix’s laptop and Christa’s cellphone. She quickly turned the flashlight on, holding it high so everyone could see enough to set their things down. 

Mason felt the hedgehog in his lap flinch, curling into a half ball and clinging to his pants with its claws. Mason gently stroked the top of the hedgehog’s spines. “Shhhh shhhh, it’s okay little guy.” Mason kept his hand steady, even as the hedgehog jumped and trembled under his fingertips. He took deep, even breaths, laying his hands over the hedgehog protectively. 

Christa waited a moment longer, then turned her phone’s light off. Felix had closed his laptop already, leaving the entire theater in pitch black darkness. 

A crackle came from every direction, followed by some sounds that were probably words. “We can’t...! We can’t hear you!!” Christa yelled towards the tech booth. 

The crackle came again. “Ooohhh...! I laid my jacket on the mic!” Charlie laughed loudly, making everyone on the stage wince. Mason covered the hedgehog’s head, trying to muffle the sound. It gave a low whining sound, curling into a tighter ball. 

“Charlie,” Perceval murmured, “It’s too loud. The volume is too high.” 

“Oh.” There was a pause. “Is that better?” She asked, her voice now at an acceptable volume. The stage team sighed in relief. 

“Yeah! That’s great!” Christa yelled up at them. 

Slowly the stage started to light up, first with yellow lights, then red, then blue. Then patterned lights appeared, rotating around the stage and shifting colors. 

Christa stood in the center of the stage, squinting angrily at the tech booth. Mason heard her grumbling to herself. “They come in late, don’t even help us finish our work, then turn the lights out on us without warning....” Mason figured that she was talking more about Charlie than Perceval. 

The normal lights turned back on and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. None of them would admit that they believed that the theatre was haunted, but everyone was on edge whenever the lights went out. “The phantom strikes again!!” Leeman hollered. He sat on the ladder’s third step, looking over to where Horacio was. Horacio looked down at his mural sketch and yelped. Written in green paint, politely inside the lines, were the words “LOL” and “Puck’d.” 

Horacio’s face turned purple. “Who ever’s doing this, it’s not funny!!” He put his face in his hands and let out a cat like yowl. “Now I have to wait for the paint to dry....”

Christa offered him a sympathetic smile. “Well, it’s time for the audio test, so it’s not so bad.” Mason raised an eyebrow, having a sinking suspicion he knew where this was going. Christa flashed him a grin and hollered. “Last one off the stage does the audio!!” And, like a flood gate had opened, everyone took off. Leeman took a running leap off the edge of the stage, twisting to sit himself in a chair in the front row in one fluid motion. Cassandra pranced down the stairs, followed, less enthusiastically, by Nickey. Horacio gave one last mournful look towards his mural sketch and rolled off the edge of the stage, landing on his feet. Christa just slid off the stage. Which left Mason alone on stage. 

“Darn. What an unforeseen turn of events,” he grumbled. He looked down at the hedgehog. “I totally blame you.” The hedgehog looked up at him quizzically. Mason sighed and gently scooped the hedgehog into his hands. It gave a soft squeak and nestled against his hands. Mason shot Christa a glare as he walked down the stairs. 

“What you doing down here Mabie baby~?” Leeman teased. 

Mason held up the hedgehog, then gently placed it in its box. Felix craned his neck, peering down into the box on the seat next to him. “I don’t think I should hold him during the audio test.” He trudged back onto the stage, stretching his arms above his head. “Where do you want me?” He called up to the tech booth. 

The speakers crackled. “Start in the middle. We’ll have you move around later and go from there.” There was another crackle and Mason’s still playing playlist came though the speakers. A few opening notes flipped by as Charlie skipped though the playlist, looking for a song she liked. “Here we go.”  
-  
-  
Felix looked up at Mason, standing alone on stage. He silently hoped that Charlie would go easy on him. Then again, Mason was a good singer, and the stage crew seemed to revel in it. Charlie finally chose a song after skipping at least ten. 

Mason shifted from foot to foot, recognizing the song of course. At least it was an easy song to start, seeing as he hadn’t actually warmed up. He started singing. “If you be my star, I’ll be your sky. You can hide underneath me and come out at night.” 

Felix closed his eyes, feeling himself relax. He loved Mason’s soft songs the best. He had a wonderful soft singing voice. The sound tweaked a bit as the tech crew fiddled with all the knobs and balances they had. Felix didn’t really understand it all. 

“I live to let you shine. I live to let you shine.”

Felix heard a rustling next to him. He opened his eyes and peered into the hedgehog’s box. The little thing was trying to climb out of the box! Felix scrambled to gently push the hedgehog back under Mason’s sweater. The thing hissed and jumped at him, trying to stab him with its quills. Felix put his laptop over the box, covering most of it. The hedgehog hissed angrily. 

“Just leave me your stardust to remember you by. Stardust... to remember you by....” Mason finished, letting out a long breath. Felix could see so much tension just fall off of his shoulders. Mason grinned and it was like a new life had been breathed into him. The stage really did suit him. 

While Felix was distracted, the hedgehog had climbed out of its box and sat itself on his laptop. Felix froze. He could have sworn the hedgehog had shot him a dirty look just then. But, it seemed like the hedgehog had just wanted to see. Felix decided that he wasn’t going to mess with it any more, so long as it kept still and quiet. 

The crackle of the speakers directed Mason to stage left. Now he was standing closer to Felix and the hedgehog. Felix couldn’t brush off the feeling that the hedgehog looked pleased. Mason stood with his hands on his hips as he waited for Charlie to stop skipping through his playlist. Mason nodded slightly as the song started. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 

“I am hanging~ in the bathroom, at the biggest party, of the fall. I could stay right here, or disappear, and nobody’s even notice at all.” 

Felix nodded slightly in approval, emotional character arc songs were one of Mason’s strong suits. Felix watched as Mason started getting into the music more. He moved his body to match the character’s emotions. 

“I am hiding~, but he’s out there. Just ignoring~ all our history. Memories get erased. And I’ll get replaced, with a newer, cooler version of me.” Mason started pouring more emotions into his singing. Felix could have sworn he saw Mason wipe away real tear. He vaguely wondered if Mason had something grating on him as he cried out the onomatopoeia in the bridge of the song, clutching at his arms. Mason let his shoulders drop as the song dropped in volume and raw emotion. He choked out a whimper, just like the character had in the professional recording. Again, Felix thought he saw Mason wiping away tears. “I wish I’d stayed in bed, watching cable porn.... Or wished I’d offend myself instead! Wish I was never born!” He clutched his sides, looking desperate and panicked. “Michael in the bathroom by HIMSELF~!!” 

Felix felt something in his stomach drop. Perhaps it was the parental protective instinct he felt for the stage crew in his care. Or perhaps it was a lingering instinct from when he was younger, a little more so than them. He shook his head, clearing the nagging in his mind as Mason finished the song with spite and hate dripping from his voice. “Awesome party. I’m so glad I came.”

For a moment, the whole theatre was silent. Then someone, Leeman most likely, started clapping. Mason rolled his eyes, clearing his throat and wiping his eyes as he walked to the other side of the stage. 

Felix glanced over to the hedgehog, jumping in surprise and fear as he saw only his laptop over the box. The hedgehog was sitting on the back of the chair, straining to watch Mason from the other side of the stage. Felix was tempted to knock the demon hedgehog back into the box, but decided against it. Instead he took his laptop and scooted a seat away. The hedgehog didn’t seem to notice him moving, only focusing his eyes on Mason. Felix figured that it must have gotten attached to him incredibly quickly. He wondered if the thing had separation anxiety or something. 

A third song came on, making Mason roll his eyes, and his head by extension. “This Song is too high!” 

“Do it!” Leeman and Christa shouted in stereo. 

Mason flipped them off with out even looking, looking more than a little ticked off as he resigned himself. “I’m trying to hold my breath.... Let it stay this way, can’t let this moment end.”

Felix watched with mild horror as the hedgehog scurried along the row of chairs, stopping to sit up its hind legs, hyper focused on Mason. “‘Cause darling~ with out you.... All the shine~ of a thousand spotlights. All the stars that we steal from the night sky, will never be enough~. Never be enough.”

Mason clutched at his chest, projecting his voice to echo throughout the theatre. “Never be enough! Never be enough~ for me! Never never! Never never!” Mason was smiling so brightly as he sang. He spread his arms wide. “Never be ENOUGH! For me!” 

Felix found himself wishing that Mason would sing in front of an audience larger than eight people and a hedgehog. 

Mason finished his song with a breathless note. “For me....” A second later he gasped, taking in all the air that the last bar had taken. He steadied himself as Cassandra checked on him. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just a little breathless and dizzy.”

Felix looked to where the hedgehog had been. Had been. He leapt to his feet, ready to call for house lights. They would never hear the end of it if the school found out they had lost an animal in the theatre. 

“Ack!” Mason yelped. He bent down, looking at his foot. “How the heck did you get up here little guy?”

Felix collapsed back into his seat as Mason picked the hedgehog up, cradling ye squirming creature to his chest. The demon rat pawed at Mason’s chest cutely, trying to climb his shirt. Felix made a silent oath to himself that he would never tell anyone how terrified that animal made him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just worked for three hours today to finish this. I’m ded. Let me know what you guys think and if you like it. ^-^ b


End file.
